An Australian federal Senator, Eric Abetz, has cited unmarried gay fashion moguls Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana—who had a romantic relationship as well as a business one—as examples of his belief that not all gay men want to marry.

The Australian Financial Reviewsaid he made the remarks during a closed meeting of lawmakers from the ruling conservative coalition on Tuesday, called to halt a same-sex marriage vote in the country’s Parliament.

According to an unnamed source cited by the Review, Abetz declared “Lots of homosexuals don’t want to get married, Dolce and Gabbana never got married.”

A spokesman from the senator’s office told TIME that he would not confirm the senator’s exact words because the meeting was private, but added: “We have not denied that the Minister said during the meeting that not all members of the gay community believe in marriage and that many have the same view as Dolce and Gabbana in relation to this.”

The spokesman stressed that the senator did not say that all gay men did not want to get married, only that “not all” gay men “have the same view on this question.”

In a March interview with CNN, Dolce said: “The beauty of the world is freedom…We love gay couple. We are gay. We love gay couple. We love gay adoption. We love everything.”

Caption from LIFE In commemoration of the 1969 Stonewall riots in Greenwich Village, militants this year designated the last week in June as Gay Liberation Week and celebrated with a candlelight parade. The parade involved 300 male and female homosexuals, who marched without incident two miles from Gay Activists headquarters to a park near City Hall.

Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Caption from LIFE When a bill guaranteeing equal job opportunities for homosexuals stalled in New York City Council last spring, militants demonstrated at City Hall. With fists raised, they shout a football style "Gay Power" cheer at police blocking the building.

Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Gay rights protest, 1971.

Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Caption from LIFE A homosexual activist steps between a pair of police horses to be interviewed during a New York demonstration. Militants often charge police brutality and welcome arrest for the sake of publicity. They also encourage press coverage of their protest actions.

Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Gay rights protest, 1971.

Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Gay rights protest, California, 1971.

Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Gay rights protest, New York, 1971.

Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Caption from LIFE Collared by a patrolman after he deliberately crossed police barricades at New York's City Hall, Gay Activists Alliance President Jim Owles submits to arrest. Members of his organization were protesting City Council reluctance to debate a fair employment bill for homosexuals.